Beckley West Virginia - Back Of The Dragon

The skies were clear this morning. The forecast was calling for 80F and thunderstorms but the radar suggested that they would be mostly to the north and only barely touch Beckley. Our plan to ride south looked good. I finished my posting from last night an wandered over to the breakfast nook for some biscuits and gravy.

Once fed, I unloaded the Wing from the trailer. Since there still wasn't any sign of anyone else, I wiped some of the dirt and a few of the bugs off, but don't tell anyone. I talked to a Harley trike guy from Florida and he suggested that the road northeast to Babcock State Park was worth checking out. I filed this for future reference. Gary unloaded his VTX and we hit the road about 9:45.

Sandy is ready

Dianne and Gary - final preparations

Sandy and I had never traveled US 19 between Beckley and Princeton. It pretty much parallels I-77 through some mountainous terrain, especially the large southbound downgrade to Camp Creek. The first part out of Beckley was through a lightly built up area but south of Ghent there were no buildings and, more important, no traffic. Gary had never ridden this type of road so I set an easy pace. This was a great road to ride and I would recommend it.

US 19 near Camp Creek

We stopped at a McDonald's in Princeton to use the facilities and see how the new mountain riders were doing. Dianne doesn't like heights and wasn't too sure about how she liked twisty mountain roads, but we decided to push on. We stayed on US 19 through Bluefield and on to Tazewell, Virginia even though the GPS tried to suggest (or demand) a different route. The gas prices dropped from $3.69 to $3.36 as soon as we crossed the state line.

US 19 near Bluefield WV

Coal is King

Thank you

A Cobra or replica passed us

Approaching Tazewell, we took an exit and followed the business route through town. There were red and black markings painted on the road. I didn't realize until later that these were the Back Of The Dragon logos. The local powers-that-be are certainly promoting this as a motorcycle destination to rival North Carolina.

We turned south on Virginia 16 and started down the BOTD. The mountains run from northeast to southwest and so any highway traveling this direction is in a valley and is relatively benign. But try to travel south or southeast and you have to climb.  Highway 16 to Marion crosses three ridges following old tote roads that have been used since the horse and wagon days. These are very twisty in some places. I like twisty when there is a rhythm to it, but am not a real fan of first gear cornering. Still, most of it was very nice. The third ridge peaked at the Hungry Mother State Park overlook.

Pastoral Virginia countryside

The road starts easy enough

Stopping after the first ridge to check out the riders

The next ridge

The road goes left

The road goes right

Hungry Mother State Park

Spectacular vistas

At Hungry Mother, we discussed the rest of the ride. My original plan has been to ride on down 16 past Marion to Mouth Of Wilson and then go to Wytheville via 221 and 21. From there, we would get on I-77 and return to Beckley. However, I sensed that the others had pretty much had enough for their inaugural day. At Marion, we took I-81 direct to Wytheville.

After some discussion about food, I pulled off at Rural Retreat. There is a Mickey D's there where we once took shelter from a large storm and passed the time talking with a Baptist preacher. But no fast food this time. Not far up the road was a Dutch Pantry. Not having done one of these before, we gave it a  try. You place your sandwich order at the deli counter, collect whatever else you want off the shelves, pay the pretty Amish/Mennonite attired young lady and eat a tables in a small dining room. Not bad and a nice break from the big chains.

Dutch Pantry - Rural Retreat Virginia

Lots of cheese choices

From Rural Retreat, we continued up I-81 to Wytheville where we took the ramp to I-77 North and went on up through Big Walker Mountain Tunnel. It turned out that this was Gary's first tunnel. I stopped at the Rest Area to warn them about the toll booth ahead. We met a lady there from Pennsylvania who had a minivan with a flat tire and no spare. She was trying to call AAA but was unable to describe where she was, so I took the phone and gave the operator directions.

We kept going, crossing back into West (By God) Virginia through East River Mountain Tunnel and got back to the hotel about 4:00 PM, still under mostly clear skies.

I had been fighting all day with the cruise control.  The problem was isolated to the micro-switch at the front brake lever. Nothing I did would allow it to keep the cruise on, so the switch itself might be toast. I will see if Schroader Honda in Hendersonville can help me when we get there on Thursday.

Mountain Empire Airport - I-81

Gateway to West Virginia

The hotel pool looked beckoning but Gary and Dianne needed bathing suits, so we piled into their truck and went to WalMart. In addition to suits, we got water, pop, salads and sandwiches. Supper was in our rooms tonight.

Wally World

The pool was a nice end to the day. We covered the bikes and not a moment too soon. Shortly after we came in, thunder started booming and the rain started coming down. Sandy went to bed about 9:30 and, after swapping some stories, I hit the sack about 11:00.

I have rethought a bit of the routing. Since we will be bringing some novices (as far a s mountain riding goes) down on Monday, I believe I will skip Highway 151 up onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. Instead, we will catch the BRP at Asheville and ride it down to Cherokee. There is no reason why their first experience with the mountain roads should be the gnarliest.

Today's Route (202 motorcycle miles):
 

Interactive map

Grove City Pennsylvania to Beckley West Virginia

I was up before 6:00 to work on the blog. Sandy ignored three rounds of snooze on the hotel alarm clock. I have no idea why she even set it. Just before 8:00, we took some of the bags down to the truck and joined Gary and Dianne in the breakfast area. There was no need to rush to get moving, so we made the most of it.

We got word this morning that Jim Siegelaar had been in a wreck. Jim and his wife Cat live in Fillmore, California and are the organizers of the Aebleskiver Rally in Solvang. Apparently he has a badly broken leg that will get the benefit of a titanium rod and some other injuries, but is expected to make a full recovery. Get well soon, Jim.

On the way out of town, Sandy wanted to stop at the Boot Box. Their ad in the hotel guide said that, among many kinds of boots and knives, they carried Crocs. She has been having trouble finding a ladies size 5 Wide. They did have many fine boots and knives and sporting clothes but had stopped carrying Crocs. Just her luck.

Boot Box - Grove City Pa

Nice bench

 We finally left Grove City at 9:25. The sky was partly cloudy with gusty winds. We threaded our way down past Pittsburgh through relatively light traffic and stopped at the Rest Area just south of the city for a quick break. The sky was becoming more overcast. There was a big system moving east that had caused tornadoes in Colorado yesterday and was threatening Texas today. We didn't want to meet it tomorrow on a riding day.

We kept going south over the West Virginia border and stopped at Fairmont for lunch. The McDonald's parking lot was a little tight but we got the trucks in. I had a good conversation with a local gentleman before we got the food. Unlike our usual to go/eat in the truck mode, we actually sat down inside.

Book store in Fairmont WV

The book store has its priorities right

 We kept going south on I-79 past Clarksburg and Weston (where we will be stopping on our way back). The truck has a V8 and can maintain speed on these hills but we pay for it at the gas pump. To keep costs down, I let it slow on the upgrades and build momentum going down, just like a Rolls Cunardly.

 Burning scrub south of Weston WV 

We left I-79 for US 19 just south of Sutton and followed the highway over Powell Mountain to Summersville. I stopped there at a Sheetz to get some Gatorade and snacks. I'd been sleepy and needed to replenish some electrolytes. My friend Scorpion says the best replenisher is V8 juice but I didn't see any. This is not the kind of road that you want to be drowsy on.

We moved on and stopped at the New River Gorge Visitor Center. After checking out the building and exhibits, we walked down to the first bridge overlook. Then Gary walked down to the second overlook. I was down there once before and never saw a second need to go there, but I joined him anyway. Great view, long climb back up.

The ladies at the New River Gorge Visitor Center

The New River Gorge

 The first bridge observation platform

The New River Gorge Bridge on US 19

Gary on the second observation platform

A lower view of the bridge

Wrong Turn and KT took us down there once

It was only 20 miles more to Beckley. We took US 19 right through town. It is amazing how developed and modern this area is. Seeing all their facilities makes me feel that Sudbury is underprivileged. The Microtel, where we stayed with Sherm, Lucky Al, Mal and Yvette on the way to Williamsburg in 2012, is all alone at the south end. We checked in and got adjoining ground floor rooms. The exercise room was right next door and the pool was only a few feet away. We couldn't have asked for better, and we will be here for three nights.

Microtel - Beckley WV

Gary unhooked his truck and  we we went for a drive. First. we stopped at CJ's for refreshments for later. The concept of a drive-through liquor store is interesting. You can still get booze even if you are too drunk to walk.

 Liquor stop

 

You don't even have to leave your vehicle

We went on up the strip to the Olive Garden for supper. I  had a baked shrimp pasta while Sandy had a lunchtime sized serving of tortellini. It was more than I had intended. Following supper, we went to Kroger's for some refreshing prune juice and I got some small cans of v8.

Red light cameras in Beckley

Supper at the Olive Garden

A stop for other essentials

Back in the room, we visited for a bit and then I did some blog work, posted the bills and checked the weather. Tomorrow has a 50% chance of thunderstorms, so we will see what the morning brings.

Today's Route (288 Avalanche miles):
 

Interactive map

Sudbury Ontario to Grove City Pennsylvania

We were up at 5:30 AM, packing the last of the gear. I made the mistake of looking at the extended weather forecast for the southeast. It looks like a major weather system is moving in and may be in play for the next ten days. Oh well, you pay your money and take your chances.

Ready to Roll

We left the driveway at 6:20, stopping for fuel before arriving at the rendezvous point slightly after the appointed 6:30 meeting time. Gary and Dianne arrived a few minutes later and, after a quick stop at the adjacent Tim Horton's, we were on our way. I gave them one of our GMRS radios so we could stay in touch on the road.

The meeting place

We hit the road about 7:15 AM with virtually no traffic. I set Beckley, WV as a destination and the GPS told me that we would be in around midnight if we rolled straight through. Then I remembered I had set the unit to avoid tolls, so I changed that and it revised the arrival time to 7:12. I am not sure how it was routing us around the NY Thruway and the WV Turnpike but it must have been wild.

We stopped at the French River Trading Post to check the trailer hubs and put the torque wrench on the lug nuts for a final time. All was good and the bikes were still well tied down. The flies, however, were obnoxious.

French River Trading Post

We made a bathroom stop at the Tim's south of Parry Sound and then continued on. I noticed at Waubaushene that the MacEwan had gas for $1.359 compared to $1.436 that I paid in Sudbury. We stopped just north of Toronto at the Maple Service Centre and fueled. I took $10 more than Gary despite us having the same 5.3 L Chev engines and his trailer being bigger. Either my holding the speed on the upgrades really hurt or his six speed transmission made a big difference. I believe the latter was the case.

We took the 407 ETR all the way to Burlington and then crossed the Skyway on the QEW. Lunch was Subway at the Casablanca Road exit in Grimsby. The four person tables were occupied by pairs of young people, two to a table. All that was left was a two person table so Gary and I let the ladies sit. He set his GPS while I swapped phones, changed greetings, switched credit cards and installed the EZ Pass transponder in anticipation of the border.

I was concerned as we approached St. Catherines and the traffic started to back up, but it was only temporary and we were soon rolling again to Fort Erie. Gas at the Flying J in Fort Erie was $1.299. Amazing. The Peace Bridge was clear and I lined up on the leftmost Customs booth because it was easiest to get to. The agent said I should have taken the RV/Bus lane because it had more room. He said that it specified trailers and I respectfully corrected him. Then I apologized for being in the wrong lane because he does have a lot of discretionary power. He looked in the trailer and sent us on our way. There is a new chain barrier forcing a hard right turn out of the booth. I made it very carefully, remembering that this was where I scraped the motor home a few years ago.

There was no place to wait for Gary so I started down I-190 as slowly as I dared. Just before the I-90 exit, I was adjusting my mirror and got off one stop too early, putting me into a residential neighborhood. Around the block and back on the freeway, I took the correct exit and found a spot just before the toll booth to pull over and wait. Gary arrived moments later and we headed through the toll booth together.

The temperature had been about 20C in Toronto but dropped to 14 in Niagara Falls. It was back up to the high 20's in Buffalo but started to drop as we moved west. It looked like we were crossing a front and, sure enough, it started to rain. Then it started to pour. Then it really came down. I abandoned plans to stop at the Angola Service Center because we could barely see it in the downpour.

Rain on the NT Thruway

The photo doesn't do it justice

The rain had eased considerably by the time we reached the end of the Thruway. After clearing the last toll booth, we stopped at the Pennsylvania Welcome Center where I picked up a couple of the hotel coupon books. From the state line to Erie, fog enveloped the road.

Pennsylvania Welcome Center

Fog and rain approaching Erie

We took the I-79 exit just past Erie and followed 79 to Grove City where we fueled at a Sheetz. We could have pushed on past Pittsburgh but it was already 5:00 PM, we were within striking distance of Beckley tomorrow and we had coupons for the Super 8 here. They honoured the coupons so we settled in for the night.

Super 8 Grove City Pa

The only drawback to the Super 8 was that it was about a half mile from any restaurants. We decided to walk to supper since the rain had finally (almost) ended. There were no sidewalks and the paved shoulder ended at Hoss's Steak and Sea Family Restaurant so we gave it a try. It was OK.

Walking to supper

Considering the menu at Hoss's

After supper, we walked back to the hotel. Dianne was a bit concerned about the twisty roads we were heading for and I assured her that people would be able to ride at their own pace. The mountain roads are dangerous when people don't know their limits. Then I played them the Ballad of the Gap, probably the most enjoyable motorcycle video I know.

I started the blog entry for the day but was pretty tired and stopped after I got the map done. After reading a few pages on my Kindle, I turned the light out just after 10:00 PM.

Today's Route (501 Avalanche miles):
 

Interactive map